


The Alternative

by ThatWaxLion



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/M, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell Friendship, Protective Malcolm Bright, Slow Burn, Team Dynamics, Unresolved Romantic Tension, slightly hurt Dani Powell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26357728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWaxLion/pseuds/ThatWaxLion
Summary: After a minor surgery, Dani wakes up thinking Bright is her husband. Bright...freaks out.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright & JT Tarmel, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 35
Kudos: 207





	The Alternative

**Author's Note:**

> All characters (except for Doctor Williams) belong to FOX, or, at least, not to me.

Hit, hit, miss. Hit, miss. Miss, miss, miss.

Bright sighed as he stood up, walked over to the garbage can and threw in all the Styrofoam cups that had missed his aim. He rubbed his face and glanced at his watch. 8:45 am. They have been here for over five hours. He looked at Gil, pacing around, talking in a muffled voice to whomever he was talking to on the phone. JT was sprawled out on the visitor chairs, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes shut. Bright secretly envied him, for being able to sleep whenever and wherever. Even in a hospital. Even when waiting for the news about Dani’s surgery.

 _He should’ve known. All the signs were there._ Bright clenched and unclenched his fists, an unconscious motion he did for the better part of their hospital visit. He should’ve known.

She was grumpy all day, which, in and on itself, wasn’t that revealing. Usually, her bad mood would lighten up after her second cup of coffee, but that didn’t happen even after the third one – that was the first clue he should have picked up on. The second one was her posture throughout the day; her hand flew absentmindedly to her stomach more than once, a move which became less absentminded as the day went on. While checking out the crime scene, she remained bent over long after there was nothing to see on the ground. He’d asked her if she was alright. ‘Just some stomach pain.’

Bright gritted his teeth. _Right_. He eyed her throughout the day, watching her desperate and lousy attempts to disguise her pain. But they had work to do, witnesses to round up, and Dani, in her usual fashion, promptly ignored his concerned questions. ‘Probably just the bagel from across the street.’ _Right._

As they had come back to the precinct after a particularly dragged-out day to work on their profile all night and Dani collapsed on the floor, it became clear that it _wasn’t_ the bagel from across the street. More like a ruptured appendix, rendering her unconscious and scaring the hell out of him, JT and Gil.

Bright rubbed his face tiredly. For over five hours, they had nothing to do, besides wait for her to wake up. Appendicitis surgery was fairly common; apparently, her pain threshold was not. She endured way more and way longer than she should have. Bright clenched his fist again. Sometimes, Dani Powell’s hardheadedness drove him mad. Like, scraping- the- walls-mad. This was definitely one of those times. 

The sound of footsteps echoing on the floor made his head snap up. Gil put down his phone as they glanced at the man in green scrubs approaching them, JT now fully alert and sitting up straight.

“I’m doctor Williams. You here for Detective Dani Powell?”

They nodded in unison.

“Okay folks, good news is, we managed to remove her appendix without any complications,” the doctor spoke in a measured, warm tone, easing some of Bright’s tension. “The bad news is that due to the rupture and her belated hospitalization, she developed peritonitis,” he glanced at the three men, blinking at him, “meaning the bacteria entered the abdominal cavity, inflaming the lining on the inside of her abdomen and outside of abdominal organs. But-“

Bright let out an inaudible sigh of relief. ‘ _But’ is good_.

“-we managed to clean out the abdominal cavity and removed the bacteria without any further complications. She’s now receiving antibiotics through a vein and she’ll need to stay on them for several weeks after she’s being discharged to be sure the infection is gone.”

Gil, JT and Bright nodded vehemently. Dr. Williams offered a small smile. “She’s awake now, you can go see her.”

The trio exchanged relieved glances; Bright’s lips curved up into a smile.

“Actually“ -Dr. Williams continued- “she asked for her husband first.”

Bright’s head snapped to him, then back at Gil and JT. His shock apparently mirrored theirs. _Husband._ He sat in stunned silence, his mind frantically retracing and reexamining every little piece of information, every fragment he had learned about her. He thought he knew her, he thought she trusted him enough to share...that kind of information with him. How arrogant of him to think that just because he trusted his own profiling instincts, just because he wanted to learn all about her, it meant that he knew all about her.

Well, apparently, he was very wrong. He swallowed hard. So, _this_ is what an emotional punch in the gut feels like. Not that he was able to decipher his own reactions, either. He felt his hand beginning to tremble and he clenched his fist. Now was not the time.

“Malcolm Bright?” Dr. Williams voice snapped him back. He glanced at him, nodding. “Yes?”

The doctor smiled at him. “I believe your wife is waiting for you.”

JT spat out his coffee and started coughing and snorting violently, while Gil, grinning ear to ear, crossed his arms over his chest, glancing at Bright with a twinkle in his eye. Bright, unable to move, just blinked dumbfounded.

“I’m-I’m sorry, what?” he managed to blurt out.

“Are you Malcolm Bright? You’re wife’s – “

“She’s not my…we're partners. I mean coworkers,” Bright added hastily, “friends. I’m not her…husband.”

Dr. Williams looked at him, slightly confused, then slowly nodded. “Oh, okay. Well in that case, I believe she’s suffering from what is called a postoperative temporary confusion due to general anesthesia. It’s not an unusual side effect for patients to experience after regaining consciousness.”

Bright looked at him, helplessly.

“The confusion usually lasts only a couple of hours, a day tops, unless it develops into a postoperative delirium, which is highly unlikely, given Ms. Powell’s age and general health. The next time she wakes up, she probably won’t remember any of this.”

“So …what should I do?”

Dr. Williams looked at Bright sympathetically, “I don’t advise you trying to clear up the situation for her while she’s still experiencing the side effects of the anesthetics. It might cause unnecessary emotional and mental distress and we want to keep her vitals in check. I suggest you play along, if it’s not too sensitive or uncomfortable for you.”

Bright shifted in his seat, clearly not being at his most comfortable, but he slowly nodded.

“Right. Okay.” He coughed nervously. JT nudged him.

“Don’t keep your wife waiting. You know how grumpy she can get,” he whispered, his smile turning into a devilish grin. Bright shot him a deadly look and his eyes darted to Gil. The Lieutenant’s face was positively beaming. Bright rolled his eyes and stood up, hesitatingly following dr. Williams.

He had to come up with a plan…a strategy. He needed to keep the conversation casual, because he wanted to avoid lying to her at any cost, even if it were for the better good, to protect her current state of mind. He hated lying to her under normal circumstances but lying to her while she was not herself…he somehow thought that would be even worse.

A thought crossed his mind while they were passing by the indistinguishable hospital rooms, getting closer to hers. What if this is some elaborate prank? What if Dani just wanted to see his absolutely petrified and anxious face and just wanted a good laugh? Doctor Williams could be in on it. Maybe even Gil. After all, he had gone down to the cafeteria about an hour ago; maybe he secretly snuck inside Dani’s room and- -

“Here we are,” the doctor motioned towards the door on Bright’s left and left him on his own. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

His eyes immediately fell upon her, propped up on the hospital bed in a semi-seated position. She was pale, but other than that, she looked like…herself. As soon as their eyes met, Dani’s face lit up.

“Hey,” she whispered, a soft smile curving her lips.

 _Well at least it’s a happy marriage._ Bright gulped, unsure whether that assessment made the situation easier or more difficult to navigate. He took a couple of tentative steps closer to her, until he stood within her reach. She lifted her hand and immediately found his, entwining their fingers. He glanced down at their hands, smiling sheepishly.

“How are you?”

“Okay. Little drowsy I guess,” she shrugged. “Doctor Williams said the surgery went smoothly.”

Bright nodded, unsure what to say. He kept staring at their hands, at Dani’s fingers stroking his. She lightly squeezed them and Bright raised his head.

“You good?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah, just…tired, that’s all.” _So far, so good._ Maybe if he kept the conversation to a minimum, she’d get sleepy again and he’s out, no harm done. He thought about gently retrieving his hand, as holding hands for an extended period of time wasn’t something they would normally do, but he figured it might raise some unwelcome suspicions. Besides, he enjoyed the feeling of his fingers slowly warming up hers.

“I’m sorry.”

Bright glanced back at her, distracted. “What for?”

“For worrying you.” She dipped her chin, her voice remorseful. _That was new_.

“You worried about me the whole day and you were right. I just didn’t want to be a…wuss. We had a job to do.” she ran her fingers quickly through her hair, her eyes avoiding Bright’s now.

“You’re not a wuss…you’re an idiot,” he said half-teasingly. “A ruptured appendix is no joke. This could’ve been so much worse,” he shook his head. _No lies so far._

Dani nodded silently, then looked at him with large puppy eyes, her hands were now resting on his forearm, distractedly playing with his fine hair, which, in turn, distracted Bright.

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll take better care of myself. Besides,”- she added, dropping her voice to a husky tone that Bright never heard before and now made him increasingly uncomfortable- “I had different plans for us tonight.”

He barely had time to register her words as she hooked her finger onto his shirt, pulling him closer. He plopped down on the edge of her bed, unable to keep his balance. “ _Very_ different plans,” she mumbled as she leaned in, her delicate scent now reaching his nostrils and starting to cloud his brain. _Uh oh_. _This was getting out of- -_

As her lips landed on his, he completely froze. For a fleeting moment, he thought about certain strategies and plans but the sensation of her lips caressing his, her other hand finding its way to his torso made his eyes flutter shut. He gave in, as he reached out to touch her face, his other hand instinctively encircling her waist and pulled her closer to intensify the kiss. _This is wrong on so many levels,_ his brain thought, but for once, reason was just not a good enough…reason to stop this. Finally, after losing any sense of time he had, he eased his embrace and broke the kiss, not wanting to cause her any further pain after the recent surgery. On another level, the damage was already done, and he fervently hoped that doctor Williams was right, and she wouldn’t remember any of this the next time she woke up. He sure as hell would, though.

Once she leaned back on her pillows, Bright couldn’t look into her eyes. His cheeks were hot, his mind was racing. He needed to get out of this, because obviously, things weren’t going as planned. But he couldn’t help himself and risked a glance at her and saw her flushed cheeks and a positively radiant smile. He had never seen Dani smile like that, and it startled him. He felt his pulse quickening. He cleared his throat.

“You should get some rest. I…I think I should go”

Dani nodded slowly, her smile fading. “Okay. Can I ask you a favor though?” she looked at him hesitatingly. Bright nodded, curious.

“I really don’t want to go to your mother’s this Friday…. you know I like her, but the last couple of days had been…rough and we’ve barely seen each other all week.” Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle as she glanced back at him, “I just want to spend time with you,” she added quietly.

Bright dropped his gaze. His heart sank at the sincere affection her words implied and an unexplainable sadness overtook him. He managed to smile at her and nod. “Sure. I’ll call her and tell her you’ll be still recovering. Which is not a lie, because you will.”

She flashed a smile, her fingers finding his on the bed again. He gently squeezed them and disentangled himself, standing up. He needed to get out of that room. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss on her temple. Just so that he wouldn’t raise any suspicions. “Try to get some sleep now. I’ll be back.” he mumbled as Dani’s gaze searched his.

“Love you.”

Throughout his life, Malcolm Bright only heard the phrase spoken to him when it served a purpose. When his father tried to keep up his act; when his mother was afraid that he would remain angry with him in the middle of a fight; when Gil was afraid he would do something reckless. It was always uttered in a theatrical fashion, always with a purpose. Never in his life had anyone told him ‘I love you’ just because…they did. These declarations were always somehow fake, spoken in very real situations. And now, it sounded so real from Dani’s lips, while the situation was so very fake. The irony of it struck him hard.

His mind went numb. Though he could’ve foreseen it, this was the very last thing he expected to hear. He was at loss, helpless. He glanced at Dani, her dark brown eyes shimmering with affection. What goes on inside of her mind? How…is this happening?

“Love you too,” he quietly said, secretly cherishing this moment, slipping into some alternative universe, where he could, for once in his life, reciprocate the words.

“I know.”

Again, that enigmatic smile he had never seen before. He gently brushed a stray curl out of her face and straightened up. He flashed an uncertain smile and turned around, heading towards the door.

“Um, Malcolm?”

_Malcolm._

“Yes?”

“When you come back, please bring me some Tampax. I only have a couple in my bag right now and I’m gonna need more soon.”

 _Tam…Jesus._ He stopped dead in his tracks, his face positively flaming up. He slowly turned back, hoping she wouldn’t notice how desperately, utterly lost and clueless he was at that moment.

“S-sure” ha managed to blurt out, looking everywhere but not at her.

Dani’s eyes narrowed and he felt her questioning look on his face. He finally looked at her, hoping he wouldn’t look as tortured as he felt right at that very moment. Dani’s face softened.

“I know, I was hoping too, that maybe I’m already…well.” she sighed, dropping her gaze.

_Hoping too? Hoping too wh—_

_Oh._

He felt a light dizziness as he figured out the implications of the unfinished sentence, and he knew that he had officially reached his limits. He needed to get out, otherwise he’d go mad. Or worse, lie to her. Even worse, say something…true.

“I..of course. I’ll bring you the t-that.” He managed to press his lips into a reassuring smile. Dani nodded and smiled back, a soft sadness lingering on her features. He glanced at her one last time before heading out and closing the door behind him. He knew he probably should have offered some comfort, if he had read the situation, read _her_ correctly. But he really couldn’t stay any longer and he was getting mad at himself, for getting so…involved in this whole act, which was clearly just a harmless, everyday symptom of general anesthesia. A side effect, nothing more. It’ll soon be over. At least that’s what he kept repeating to himself, wandering aimlessly along the hospital corridor, his mind still stuck in her room.

“How’s the Mrs.?” JT’s sly grin brought him back, once he got back to him and Gil.

Bright shot him an annoyed look. “Confused. And sleeping.”

He realized that his last remark was actually the first lie he had told in the hospital. He just desperately wanted to spare Dani from JT. And, maybe Gil too. He glanced at his mentor, who cleared his throat.

“Cut it Tarmel.” Before Bright could say ‘thank you’, Gil continued, “Although I gotta say, I’m a little hurt you didn’t invite me to the ceremony. After everything I’ve done for you kids…” he shook his head in mock-disappointment, then he burst out in laughter. Bright sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed to sleep. Desperately.

“Okay then. She’ll be fine. We can all go home.” To underline his intentions, he motioned towards the swing door at the end of the hall and took off in swift strides. Gil and JT, still smiling, followed him.

“Hey, don’t forget to pick up the groceries.”

Bright was just about to turn around, ready with a comeback for JT, but then he remembered. _Groceries._

“Shit,” he mumbled to himself.

Once he was outside, he took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He hesitatingly tapped the screen and tried to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming conversation, which surely would go down in history as one of his most excruciating and awkward phone calls. He cleared his throat, listening to the dial tone. Finally, a soft click.

“Hey Ains, I, uh… I need some… help.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As he shut the apartment door behind him, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Finally, home. He tossed the Walgreens paper bag on his couch and quickly shed his clothes then jumped in the shower, welcoming the cold water prickling his skin. After feeling remotely renewed, he went straight to his French press, brewing a fresh batch of coffee.

He knew he should probably try and go to sleep as soon as possible, but he also knew how that would end. Unsuccessfully. And he needed to find answers to a thousand questions.

He sat down to the kitchen island with his laptop and coffee mug and started devouring every study, every reliable medical source he could find on post-operative temporary confusion. After about two and a half hours, he learned everything he never needed to know about general anesthesia, high carbon dioxide levels, electrolyte imbalances, stages of delirium. Some of that, he already knew. But nothing in these studies gave him a satisfying explanation for Dani’s vibrant smile, or soft touch, or lingering gaze that he had just witnessed and experienced. Nothing in these research papers helped him delve deep into her psyche and figure out the why. Why she was so utterly open with her…imagined feelings towards him. Everything about her affectionate demeanor was unlike anything he ever experienced from her. Well, that wasn’t true; he knew Dani was his friend, that she trusted him, confided in him on more occasions. He sometimes caught glimpses of her softness but never in such an outspoken way.

Bright sighed and shut his laptop, rubbing his face tiredly. He even toyed with the idea of calling Edrisa for a consultation, but he just as quickly dismissed it, not being sure how he could explain the situation to her without perhaps hurting her feelings in a way, and being absolutely sure that if Dani found out he had told about her condition to someone else, she would kill him on the spot.

So, he had to settle for the simplest explanation: temporary confusion. Or maybe _he_ wanted to see things that weren’t there; maybe he misinterpreted the signs. Maybe he was the one with a temporary confusion. But then her soft lips on his flashed in his memory. Her fingers, caressing his. That husky voice, that glowing smile.

He shook his head almost violently, to will these images away and quickly strode to his liquor cabinet and pulled out his favorite single malt, grabbed a tumbler and poured the liquid very generously. He finished it in one gulp, promptly pouring another one. He tried to dissect and rationalize his own obsessive behavior. After all, Dr. Williams had told him everything he needed to know about Dani’s condition; that it was just a confusion and just temporary. Nothing to worry about. So why was he so obsessed on trying to find a deeper meaning for it all? What was it about the whole thing that shook him so much to the core? Was he craving human affection so much that the most mundane situation, the slightest spark would ignite a whole damn fire in him? Or was he just craving _her_ affection so much?

Finally, as he felt a soft buzz tingling his veins, he was ready to surrender to sleep. Or to a couple of hours of horizontal tossing and turning, bound by his chains. He welcomed both options, as long as he could shut out her smile, her touch, her voice. _Malcolm._

Bright closed his eyes. Tomorrow, it will be all over.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

His heart was pounding faster, and his pulse was quickening with every step he took towards her room. He was anxious not knowing what to expect. After all, a full 24 hours had passed since the last time he saw her. That should be enough for the side effects to fade completely. On all accounts, she should be her normal self by now. _A couple of hours, a day tops._ But what if, for some reason, her condition was still the same? He wasn’t sure whether he could handle another round of gleaming smiles and intimate touches and baby talks and declarations of love without breaking completely down. On the other hand…her lips. Her voice. Her eyes. Her softness.

He gently knocked on her door, which was slightly ajar and stepped inside, nervously glancing around. Dani was standing next to her bed in her clothes she was brought in the day before, and tried slipping into her boots, carefully balancing with her sensitive abdomen. She glanced up at him, her eyebrows raised.

“Hey,” she said in a genuine surprise.

“Hi,” Bright walked towards her in slow, hesitant steps. Much like the day before, but he sensed that something has already shifted. “Need help?”

Dani shook her head, her curls flying around her shoulders. “I’m good, thanks,” she muttered as she was clearly having some trouble balancing on one leg, while trying to pull up her right boot, trying not to bend over too much and hurting herself.

“Here, let me,” Bright gently grabbed her elbow to steady her and slowly eased her on her bed. Once she was seated, he squatted down and helped her slip into her boots. Dani rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby Bright. I can do that.”

Bright felt a slight twinge of disappointment, but willfully shoved it in the back of his mind. Clearly, she was back to herself.

Once she had her boots on, she immediately stood back up. “Thanks.” She narrowed her eyes, studying him suspiciously. “I didn’t know you were coming to pick me up. I was just about to call an Uber.”

“Well, now you don’t have to,” he answered swiftly. He thought about grabbing her bag, but now it all felt too…intrusive. Besides, she already swung it over her shoulder, ready to leave. He quickly turned around to lead the way out to the parking lot (she was, after all, unconscious when she was brought in), ready to close this door, but her hand on his arm stilled him.

“Hey Bright…thanks.” she said in a quiet, softer tone, looking at him. He glanced back at her and nodded. She cleared her throat, her left foot nervously tapping the ground.

“I, uh, I’m sorry. For being an idiot yesterday. I messed up our whole worknight. I should’ve come sooner to the hospital.” she ran a finger through her hair, her eyes darting away, then glancing back at him.

“You didn’t mess up anything. Well, besides your appendix,” he added, cracking a smile. “But yes, you are an idiot.”

She nodded, a smile escaping her before biting down on her lower lip. Then, a shadow swept over her face and she furrowed her brows, her thoughts clearly lost somewhere for a moment. But just as quickly, she regained her composure. Bright shot him a questioning look, but Dani just shook her head. “Nothing, I..just had a weird déjà vu.”

Bright opened his mouth to say something, but thankfully, they were stopped by a nurse, handling the discharge papers. Soon, they were out of the building, inside Bright’s car and rolling out of the parking lot.

“So…what did I miss?” she asked casually, glancing out the window from the passenger’s seat.

_We kissed. You told me you loved me. We’re apparently trying for a baby._

“Not much,” he cleared his throat, his eyes focused on the road, “we didn’t make any significant progress on the profile. White male, probably in his forties, divorced, low-paying job.”

“That kind of sums up my tinder pool,” she murmured, earning a chuckle from Bright.

“Hey, um….doctor Williams told me you came by to see me yesterday…but I can’t remember a thing,” she glanced at Bright, but his gaze was practically peeled on the road. “Must’ve been out of it.”

Bright nodded hesitatingly. She continued, eyeing him, “Was I…weird?”

_Confused? Yes. Affectionate? Yes. Arousing? Yes. Weird?_

“No,” he managed to stay, not risking a glance at her. _Still not a lie._

Dani eyed him studiously, but Bright didn’t offer anything else. She sighed and shuffled around in her bag, pulled out her water bottle, but as she opened it, the cap fell straight between her seat and the gear shift. She managed to fish out the cap in an expert maneuver, and as she retrieved her hand, her fingers brushed Bright’s. For a split second, Dani froze, and then she jerked back her hand as if something had burnt her. Bright’s eyes darted to her, her sudden movement startling him. She caught his glance and opened her mouth, but quickly shut it and turned away. Bright watched the road ahead of them, but occasionally, he shot a concerned glance in Dani’s direction.

“You okay?”

Dani hesitated, her hands running swiftly through her hair, a motion she did whenever she was either nervous or concentrating. “Yeah, I think…I had the weirdest dream…”

“Y-yeah?”

She shook her head. “Never mind. The anesthetics probably knocked me out good.”

_Yes, they did._

She chewed the inside of her cheek, her fingers drumming rhythmically on the door handle. Then, she stopped. Her eyes grew wide.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. Bright glanced at her, feeling a massive lump in his throat, growing with each passing moment.

“What?” he managed to ask.

Dani slowly turned her head towards him. “I…it _wasn’t_ a dream, was it?”

 _Shit. Shit_. Bright felt the panic rising in him as he sensed the sheer terror in her voice. He couldn’t start lying to her now.

“N-no. I came by.”

Dani looked at him, then out the window, and suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth. “Jesus,” she muttered.

Bright glimpsed at her, already feeling the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“Did I…did I…uhm…,” Dani was at loss for words. “I didn’t… _kiss_ you, did I?” she managed to spat out in a shaky tone.

Bright gulped. _Here we go._

“It’s….it’s okay. You were still under the effects of the anesthetics. It wasn’t - - “

“Oh my God,” Dani whispered, her face now buried in her hands but as Bright glanced at her, he could see the blush creeping on her uncovered features. He thought about reaching out to cover her hands reassuringly, but he remembered the cap incident from two minutes ago and decided against it.

“Dani, it’s okay. You were still practically sedated. You were not yourself,” Bright repeated the same mantra he told himself for the better part of the last day, “it’s a common phenomenon for patients under general anesthesia. It’s called postoperative confusion. Could happen to anyone. It’s no big deal,” he added hastily, glancing at her.

She slowly retrieved her hands from her face but couldn’t look into his eyes. She looked down, studying her hands, now resting in her lap. She nodded.

“Does anyone else know about my…confusion?” she asked, breathing heavily.

Bright bit his lower lip. “Well, JT and Gil were…”

“Oh God, not JT,” she threw her head back in utter desperation.

Bright smiled, “It’s okay, they weren’t in your room. They just heard about your…condition when doctor Williams informed us after the surgery. And I haven’t told them anything that went down while I was with you,” he added hastily, trying to ease her embarrassment. Dani nodded. Bright hesitated for a second, eyeing her cautiously.

“You may or may not have a new nickname though, courtesy of JT”

Dani looked at him, Bright cleared his throat again.

“The Mrs.”

She closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head resignedly. “Great.”

Bright opened his mouth to ask her whether she remembered anything else from their ‘incident’ but decided against it. He just witnessed how extremely uncomfortable this whole thing had made Dani and he didn’t want to add to her distress. He felt genuinely sorry for her. She always kept her emotions in check in front of everyone else; she was always guarded, cautious of not revealing anything personal to anyone. Being in such a vulnerable situation would hit anyone hard and especially so Dani Powell. He just wished he could somehow explain to her that as confused and unrealistic that whole scene was, it was still something…nice. Warm. Affectionate. Her voice snapped him back.

“Hey, can we stop by Walgreens? I need to grab something,” she asked, trying to regain a casual, nonchalant tone.

 _Oh, about that_. Bright felt his cheeks flush as his fingers formed a deadly grip on the wheel.

“Uhm…sure, but…no need.”

“What do you m- - “Dani stopped short. “Oh God. Please don’t tell me…”

Bright gulped. “It’s in the trunk.”

Dani sighed and closed her eyes and by the looks of it, Bright could tell she probably wasn’t planning to open them up ever again. They drove in silence for a while, him not knowing how to ease her tension, her not being able to. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and glanced at him, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Wait - how did you know…what type to buy?”

Bright’s face turned into a painful grimace. “Well, let’s just say, Christmas came early for Ainsley this year.”

“No, you didn’t,” Dani’s eyes grew large and a genuine laughter bubbled up in her chest.

Bright sighed and nodded slowly. “Yep. She…consulted me.”

“Oh my God,” she snickered, shaking her head in disbelief. She remained silent for a while, then looked at Bright. “I can’t believe you did that.” Her soft tone warmed Bright’s chest.

“Why?”

She shook her head lightly. “Nothing…it’s just that….none of my exes did anything like that,” her voice trailed off as she looked outside the window.

“Really?” a genuine surprise colored his tone, “I mean, I’m clearly not a relationship expert, but I thought that’s what boyfriends…or husbands do.”

“Only the good ones I guess,” she said quietly. He glanced at her, but her thick curls hid her profile from him. His thoughts began to wander. If she remembered the tampax, then she surely remembered…everything else too. He had so many questions and he was dying to ask them, to read her micro expressions, to maybe learn something new from her, about her…did she secretly want to have children? Would she ever confide in him about something like that? Was she, too, longing for someone? Bright knew that he could get the answers from her if he wanted to. He could just ask and then watch her reactions, her involuntary micro expressions would give her away. But he didn’t want to profile her. She wouldn’t want that. And it would definitely betray their friendship.

He found a parking spot in front of her apartment building. He helped her out and after gathering her stuff and the Walgreens bag from the trunk, he walked her up to her apartment. Dani fished out her keys and unlocked the door. She turned around, facing him, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes nervously darting back and forth.

“Should I pick you up tomorrow? Your car is still at the precinct, and you’re on my way anyway.” Bright offered a topic change, slightly rocking back and forth on his heels.

Dani shook her head. “It’s okay, I’m just going to call an Uber and then drive home myself.”

Bright slowly nodded. For a couple of seconds, they stood in awkward silence, neither of them knowing how to put an end to this bizarre day.

“Hey Bright…I’m sorry.”

“I told you, it’s not- -“

“I don’t know why this happened…I mean, I don’t _fantasize_ about stuff like that, okay? It’s…I don’t know why my brain…did that.”

He glanced at her. Her hand, fumbling around her curls. The movement of her eyes. The slightest quiver of her lips. He nodded, and felt the warmth spreading in his chest. Oh, he could read her. But he could also sense her tension and he wanted to somehow resolve her uneasiness.

“Dani, I told you it’s okay. Could happen to anyone. We work together. We see each other a lot. Could’ve been JT or Gil just as well.”

She snickered, rolling her eyes at the idea.

“Besides-“, he added hesitatingly, locking eyes with her, “it was actually nice. The feeling of…belonging to someone.” he added, dropping his voice.

Her gaze softened, a hint of a smile curving her lips. She slowly nodded. For a moment, they stood still, appreciating the silence, for once comforting and not filled with awkward tension. Bright cleared his throat.

“Get some rest. And don’t even think about going inside the precinct. Get your car and that’s it.” His soft smile betrayed his stern voice. Dani nodded again, rolling her eyes, but smiling back at him nevertheless.

“Thanks M…Bright.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He walked to his car, and with each step, he felt the tension lifting from his shoulders. She is going to be okay. It was over. Things will get back to normal. But as he sat back behind the wheel, he couldn’t help but feel a certain.. void. Something that hadn’t been there before. Or maybe it had been, but he was only starting to be aware of it now. He shook his head and rubbed his face. Time to get back to work. And get back to normal.

He heard his phone buzz and he tapped the screen.

_Could you pick me up in the morning? If I’m on your way anyway._

_\- The Mrs._

He tapped the screen again and smiled as he started the engine.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! :-) As always, any and all comments are welcome and very much appreciated. Thank you for reading!


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